School meals fail salt and fat tests

Primary schoolchildren in England and Wales are being served school dinners containing much higher levels of fat, sugar and salt than nutritionists recommend, according to a detailed analysis of the meals.

The government was accused of hypocrisy yesterday by the Soil Association, the organic food pressure group, after it urged food manufacturers and supermarkets to reduce salt while failing to impose the same standards on school meals.

A nutritional analysis commissioned by the association of five meals typically served in primary schools, showed that children eating them over five days would consume 40% more fat, 28% more saturated fat and 20% more sugar than recommended.

They would also miss out on some nutrients, receiving just 80% of the amount of iron needed and 70% of the recommended level of zinc.

The association, one of a number of voices urging higher quality school meals to improve health and reduce child obesity, analysed typical primary school meals such as a cheese fritter, peas, roast potatoes and flapjack or a fishy shape, spaghetti hoops, smiley faces and an iced bun.

It compared the results with nutritional guidelines for children aged seven to 10 set by the Caroline Walker Trust, which campaigns to improve public health through good food and says school dinners should provide on average a third of a child's recommended daily intake of nutrients. The association then came up with its own meal recommendations.

Despite government pledges to improve school meals, the guidelines for primary school dinners do not limit the amounts of fat, sugar and salt which can be served or set any levels for beneficial vitamins and minerals.

Last month Charles Clarke, the education secretary, unveiled a national healthy living blueprint, and pledged to review nutritional standards for secondary school meals, set in 2001.

The Department for Education and Skills said it planned to conduct research into the quality of primary school food before introducing any changes.

Peter Melchett, the Soil Association's policy director, described the decision to delay action as "a scandal".

He said: "The government accepts that it is risking the health of young and vulnerable children by allowing meals that are high in fat, sugar and salt at school. It is well known that most school dinners in primary schools do not provide the correct level of nutrients ... but still Charles Clarke refuses to act to protect children at their most crucial stage of development."

Campaigners said nursery and primary school age is the period during which children's eating habits could be set for life and called on the government to use its ability to control their diet through school meals. "This is an area where the government is nanny," Mr Melchett said.

The confirmation that primary school meals fall below recommended nutritional standards came as the government is calling on food manufacturers and supermarkets to produce plans to reduce the salt, sugar and fat in their products.

A government-backed campaign featuring Sid the Slug is urging the public to cut down on salt or risk raised blood pressure and heart attacks. "It is two-faced and hypocritical," Mr Melchett said, urging the government to "put its own house in order before putting pressure on others to deliver."

In 2000, the government's National Diet and Nutrient Survey, found that 94% of seven- to 10-year-olds consumed more saturated fat than recommended. More than 75% did not consume enough zinc - vital to help produce new cells and enzymes and process carbohydrate, fat and protein - and 59% of girls got too little iron.

Campaigners said a shift to mainly unprocessed food was possible in schools, pointing to Scotland, where an overhaul of school dinners has been a success, and to some local authorities and schools going it alone in England.

The DfES said yesterday it was moving to address the issue of primary school meals.

A spokeswoman said: "We are setting up an expert steering group, made up of representatives from schools, local authorities, the catering industry and nutritionists to see how guidelines can be tightened up to further reduce salt, sugar and saturated fats in children's diets.

"We are also undertaking a specific monitoring and evaluation exercise on the quality of primary school meals.

"We have set down the minimum standards for school lunches, but they are just that, a minimum. Many schools have been innovative in their provision and contracting and are providing extremely healthy and nutritious meals."

Sign up for the Guardian Today

Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning.

About this article

School meals fail salt and fat tests

This article was published on
the Guardian website
at 05.13 EDT on Thursday 28 October 2004.
It was last modified at 05.13 EST on Wednesday 15 December 2004.
It was first published at 05.13 EST on Wednesday 15 December 2004.